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Armed robbers make off with cash and marijuana from Riverdale dispensary

The incident happened at Canna Clinic at Broadview and Gerrard, police say. The chain’s Ossington location was robbed in December.

Toronto police are investigating after an armed robber fired a gun inside a dispensary in Riverdale Thursday night. The incident is the latest in a recent string of pot-shop robberies in Toronto. (RENE JOHNSTON / TORONTO STAR)

By Emma McIntoshStaff Reporter

Fri., March 3, 2017

Toronto police are investigating after an armed robber fired a gun inside a dispensary in Riverdale Thursday night and made off with an unknown amount of marijuana and cash.

The incident is the latest in a recent string of pot-shop robberies in Toronto.

“The information that we got was that they were being robbed by three black men, one armed with a gun,” said Toronto police Const. Victor Kwong.

“During the robbery, a firearm was discharged. We don’t know if it was intentionally fired at someone or if they were making a point.”

Police were called to the Canna Clinic at Gerrard St. E and Broadview Ave. just after 10:45 p.m. Thursday. Kwong said it wasn’t clear who reported the robbery.

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Although no one was hurt, the robbers stole cash and marijuana products, Kwong said. It wasn’t immediately clear what specific type of marijuana products were taken or what the total value of what was taken might be.

The robbers had their faces covered, Kwong said, and police are still analyzing video and forensic evidence from the scene to figure out their identities.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has promised to introduce legislation that will legalize the use and sale of recreational marijuana.

In the meantime, pot shops that don’t abide by the rules for medical marijuana sales operate in a strange limbo.

Toronto police started cracking down on such dispensaries last May, raiding 43 pot shops and charging 90 people.

The Ossington Ave. location of Canna Clinic, a chain with locations in Ontario and British Columbia, was robbed in December. In that case, a customer alleged that staff did not call police and he reported the incident, himself.

After that robbery, Toronto defense lawyer Paul Lewin told the Star that recent police raids on storefront dispensaries have led owners to do their best to avoid law enforcement.

Police have said they’ll help dispensaries who report crimes, but will also seize any illegal merchandise, something Kwong said likely happened on Thursday night.

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